There are "no current plans" for a new British independence day on June 23 to mark the EU referendum vote.

Midland MP Minister Robin Walker, one of the Government Ministers responsible for Brexit, quashed the idea of a new national holiday, saying it would cost businesses more than £1 billion to add another bank holiday to the calendar.

More than 20,000 people signed a petition on the Government's website backing Independence Day.

But as MPs debated this and a series of other petitions on Brexit, Mr Walker, MP for Worcester, said the Government "has no current plans to create another permanent UK bank holiday".

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Speaking in a Westminster Hall debate, Mr Walker added: "Tempting though that might be, I think the idea of an independence day would face fierce competition from the likes of St George's Day, Trafalgar Day and many more.

"It's very hard to commit to June 23 over its many rivals. Unfortunately it's just too costly, in the view of the Department for Business, Energy and the Industrial Strategy to introduce another holiday at this stage.

"When they analysed the impact of the additional holiday for the Diamond Jubilee, they found that it cost employers over £1 billion."

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MPs debated six petitions on Brexit, such as calling for them to invoke Article 50 immediately, through to not invoking Article 50 at all.

A wide-ranging debate saw Remain and Leave supporting MPs exchange views on the impact of leaving the European Union on immigration, trade and the devolved administrations.

Singer Nicole Scherzinger performs at an Independence Day Concert in the USA (Photo: Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

Labour's Geraint Davies (Swansea West) reiterated his backing for a second referendum.

He said it would be a "dreadful mistake" were Britain to leave the EU, adding: "Business and other service sectors simply don't know what's going to happen, and then of course in the community of people who are EU citizens it's a disaster, not just because xenophobia has been spun up and people are in the streets saying go home and all the rest of it.

"The economic facts are, the average EU citizen contributes 34% more in tax than she or he consumes in public services.

"So if we swap those people for retired Brits in Spain and France and whatever it is, we'll be swapping hard-working, tax-contributing working Polish people and all the rest of it, for people who retired into the sun who would be more of a cost on the health service."